TO
ALL THE KIDS
WHO
SURVIVED the
1930's 40's, 50's,
60's and 70's !!
First,
some of us have survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while
they were pregnant.
They
took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested
for diabetes.
Then
after that, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with
bright colored lead-based paints.
We had no childproof
lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we
rode our bikes, we
had no helmets, not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking.
As
infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats,
seat belts or air bags.
< /
FONT>Riding
in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special
treat.
We
drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a
bottle.
We
shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle
and
NO
ONE died from it.
We
ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank koolade made with sugar, and
we weren't overweight because . . .
WE
WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING
We
would leave home in
the
morning and play all day, as long as we were back at supper
time.
No
one was able to reach us all day and we were O.K.
We
would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down
the
hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few
times, we learned to solve the problem.
We
did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes or video
games
at
all. Not 150 channels on cable, no video, movies or DVD's. No surround-sound
or CD's,
no
cell phones, personal computers or Internet.
WE HAD REAL FRIENDS and we went outside and found
them!
We
fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no
lawsuits
from these accidents.
We
ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We
were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
We
made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would
happen, we did not put out anyones eye.
We
ro de bikes, walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang
the
bell, or just walked in and talked to them!
Little
League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn
to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The
idea of a parent bailing us out of jail if we broke the law was unheard of.
They
actually sided with the law!
These
generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and
inventors ever!
The
past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We
had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned
HOW
TO
DEAL
WITH IT ALL!
If
YOU are one of them . . .
You
might want to share this with others who have had the blessing to grow up as
kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives
for
our own good
And
while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave
(andblessed) their parents were.
Kind
of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't
it?